The Best Car Movies

All of us love movies, no matter how old or how new or what type all of us love movies. Why? Because movies are entertaining they give us a good story. Now there have been many car movies made, but which one is the best car movie? We will judge car movies based on the cars in the movie, the car scenes, and the racing.

10. Hot Rod Girl (1956) - I am not sure whether this movie was meant to be an anti-hot rodding movie or not. The plot isn’t much guys brother dies, the city wants to stop hot rodding and the kids still want to race. Since this is 1956 there has to be a chicken game right (it was a law in 50’s Hollywood). In the movie there are a few 32 Fords (actually a lot of 32 Fords), a 56 Chevy, a 56 Ford, 55 T-bird, and an Olds 88.

9. Death Proof (2007)- The first half of this movie maybe seem a bit boring, its mostly talking and just a bunch of girls drinking in a bar (not even a wild bar party, just a group of 3 girls drinking) but then it gets good, with a 71 Chevy Nova used as a weapon and later a car chase with a 69 Charger and a 70 Vanishing Point Challenger. The movie is meant to feel like a 70’s Slasher movie crossed with Vanishing Point. If you’re a Mopar guy check this one out!

8. Road Racers (1994)- This movie is called Road Racers however they is only one short race in the movie, and 2 Car Chases. The movie opens with a Car chase between a 56 Chevy being chased by the cops 56 Buick all to a badass Rockabilly song! There is greaser violence (not Grease greaser violence but like the Outsiders with a 90’s humor twist), there is great Rockabilly music from Glen Glenn, Hasil Adkins and Johnny Reno!

7. Thunder Road (1958) - Let me tell the story, I can tell it all... Actually let’s let Robert Mitchum tell you the story he can do it better. This movie starring Mitchum is about Running Moonshine in Tennessee in the 50’s and trying not to get caught be the revenuers. It has a number of crazy car chases featuring a 50 Ford Coupe, 57 Ford Fairlane, a 56 Chevy undercover car that can rip off cars bumpers and a song about the movie performed by Mitchum himself!

6. Dazed and Confused (1993) - I’ve been Dazed and Confused for so long its not true! Which sadly that song is not in this movie (it was suppose to be and Jimmy Paige was for it but Plant wasn’t). This movie is kind of like the 70’s version of American Graffiti except it’s the first night of summer not the last and the main character is entering High School. Anyway they is a car chase between a 64 Buick and 72 Chevy Truck, there is a 70 Chevelle SS 454, 70 GTO Judge, Ford Maverick, 37 Oldsmobile and a 74 Trans Am!

5. Tales of the Crypt: King of the Road (1992) - Ok I lied this one is not a movie; it is an episode from HBOs horror series Tales of the Crypt. Why is this movie on the list? WHY ISN’T ON THE LIST? As soon as the episode opens we are greeted with a 69 yellow Chevelle SS street racing a 69 Red Dodge Charger to a rocking song by Warren Zevon. Later we get a car chase with the Chevelle SS and a police car and at the end a Street race with the Chevelle SS vs. a 57 Chevy Gasser! There is a great soundtrack by Warren Zevon, however only one of the songs “Roll with the Punches” has been released the other “Bad Road, Wretched Road” is only found as a cover by a band called Rebel Son.

4. Hot Rod (1979) - This movie is hard to find, it was a made for TV made from 1979. It probably has the most Drag Racing scenes out of any movie I have seen! The movie has a Street race between a 65 Hemi Plymouth and a 69 Olds Cutlass in the beginning, later a hemi powered 41 Willys Coupe Gasser, a few funny cars, and rocket powered Funny Car and tons of Drag Racing scenes in this movie!

3. Vanishing Point (1971) - Kowalski is a delivery driver who is delivering a 1970 White Dodge Challenger from Colorado to San Francisco. He does it by speeding the whole time and creates the world’s largest car chase! Being pursued by the police the whole time!

2. Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) - Who needs plots? This movie doesn’t! All we need is a Driver, a Mechanic, a Girl, a guy with a GTO, a 55 Chevy gasser and a few random hitch hikers to make a great car movie! This movie is all about cars and nothing else! You get to see and hear a nice 55 Chevy almost every scene as well as a GTO. The movie opens with a Drag Race and ends with one!

1. American Graffiti (1973) – Was this really a surprise to any of you? Nothing but classic cars, cruising, great music, humor, a few races and lots of fun! We get a nice but piss yellow 32 Ford powered by a 327, a 58 Chevy Bel Air also powered by a 327, a girl in a 56 T-bird and a Black 55 Chevy (actually the same one from Two Lane Blacktop). This movie really is all about cars, not coming of age. The movie ends with a great showdown between the 32 Ford and the 55 Chevy!

Check out the Best Car Movies